What My Children Have Taught Me

We do a fair amount of teaching our children, but the truth is, they teach us just as much – about all kinds of things explains Terence Mentor, aka Afrodaddy.

Parenting comes with many tasks. Feeding, cleaning and desperately trying not to lose your patience are the first things that come to mind, but few are as important as teaching.

We teach our kids how to eat and bath and tie their shoelaces. We teach them how to ride a bike and brush their teeth and how to say “Please” and “Thank you”. We even, often indirectly, teach them how to cope with the world.

And yet, despite the role of teaching falling squarely on our shoulders, we can actually learn much from our kids … if we are willing.

Dirt = fun

Apparently my boys don’t head outside with the specific purpose to cover themselves in sand and soil, but they manage to achieve that anyway. Why? Because throwing dirt over yourself is actually pretty cool.

Also, what is the point of having all these couch cushions if you can’t throw them on the ground and use them as a wrestling area?

Sure, the hassle of cleaning up afterwards falls squarely on our shoulders, but I think parents would have a lot more fun if we stopped thinking about the tidying up that has to happen afterwards.

Sleep isn’t fun – unless you’re doing it

My two tend to fight sleep so much that you think it is the worst thing to do. But then when you try to wake them up, there is always a fight for a few more minutes. It’s the only thing that they want to do at that point.

Craziness is the best

Run around in the rain. Dance like a mad person. Start laughing for no reason. Make up new words and look confused when everyone around has no idea what you are talking about.

These are just some of the ways my boys let out their crazy, and they have the most fun doing it! The great thing about being this kind of crazy is that it is completely inclusive ‒ everyone is welcome to join in. In fact, the more the merrier.

To read the full article from Mama Magic Milestone Magazine, click here